Sabbatical Stories

Love and Time

15" x 15"

Completed Summer 2014

pastel over monoprint

There was so much unexpected about having a sabbatical.  First, having it in the first place.  Then, "what're ya gonna do?"  Then, suddenly it starts.  Then, suddenly it's over.  This is the story of what happened on mine, through pictures of the artwork completed over these 3 months.

The original plan to use the time in my print studio evaporated when I learned that the magnificent Whelan printing press generously on loan in my basement for over 5 years was moving with its owner to New Mexico, ten days after my sabbatical was to begin.

Determined to print as much as I could in the first ten days of the sabbatical, I hadn't figured how tired I'd be from getting ready to leave the gallery for 3 months, and hadn't a clue as to what I'd print.

So, I just printed.  I spent the first day gathering the materials, without an idea in my head. Second day, I started to draw and smush the oily colors around with my latex gloved fingers, not even looking out the window, just remembering scenes, color relationships and effects that had languished in my memory.

Here are a few pictures from the studio, which I particularly appreciate because they were snapped shortly after I got up one morning - no make up, no comb or brush, definitely sloppy clothes, but you can tell how happy I was to be there.

Some 30 monoprints later, I waved goodbye to the press, and within minutes opened an email that released a floodgate of priorities from other sources, ultimately keeping me out of my pastel studio  - where I finish the monoprints - for another month.  So already, . . . the best laid plans got off to a very slow start!